


Forever and Always

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, Future Character Death, Future Fic, How Do I Tag, I can't tag for shit, I keep coming back to edit tiny things, Language, Levi is a bit OoC, Levi is dead, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Triggers, No Sex, No Smut, No Spoilers, Sad, Swearing, Talking To Dead People, and that they win, this is assuming everyone still alive at chapter 19 except Levi stays alive, unless you count peoples names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-02-15 21:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2243799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His lips brushed against Eren's one last time and he opened his eyes. There he was, standing in front of him, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Eren felt his eyes widen and he reached out to touch the man he loved only to see his fingers slip through. He drew his hand back as he stared at him, blinking back tears .. The man's expression looked sad yet at peace, eyes full of love for Humanity's Hope ..</p><p>He saluted Eren, his right fist over his heart, left fist behind his back before disappearing and finally Eren realized, Levi was never going to come back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever and Always

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first Attack on Titan fic, my first one-shot, my first romance and my first fic written on Ao3. No idea if this is canon or not because I haven't finished the reading the manga yet (No spoilers okay?) Mild triggers ahead, it's not enough to destroy anyone though or really make them cry.
> 
> Please leave comments below on the story or if there are grammatical errors.

Laughter and cheers rang out across the squads of the Survey Corps as it was announced that the Titans had finally been defeated. People ran through the streets, celebrating the news, unable to contain their excitement to tell their family that humanity was once again safe and the world was theirs to reclaim again. Some of them were chattering frantically and were practically bouncing up and down whilst others swung around on the buildings in 3D Maneuver Gear (no one gave a shit that it was against the rules) in search of friends that they could party with. There was no one was not hungry for the taste of the new freedom given to them by the Survey Corps and almost everyone was feeling the euphoria of the victory that hadn't seemed claimable some years back.

 

Only one person stood in the shadows, hood up, and watching sadly as the festival got started.

 

Eren Jaeger stared at the crowds on the streets and sighed. At last, they no longer had to live in the cage they knew as life but could expand outside of the Walls and finally, _finally_  live to be the thriving species humanity used to be. He no longer would be looked down upon for wearing the Wings of Freedom and for being able to turn in the Rogue Titan. That was something he had dreamed of and he had claimed it. He should be ecstatic.

 

Right?

 

Why didn't he feel happy? Why did he feel more trapped than ever before?

 

He watched his friends as they celebrated the triumph, Sasha and Connie zipping through the streets on their 3D Maneuver Gear, Mikasa and Armin walking underneath them, talking happily with Jean. Ymir and Historia were standing side by side, watching passersby. Heck, even Erwin, Hanji, the bloody Wallists and everyone else was enjoying the long and hard-earned peace. It was strange seeing everyone like this. Everyone looked so at ease, nothing like what it had been like almost 5 years ago. It was almost as if there had never been any hardships in this life and no one was fighting their own demons.

 

The only person who didn't seem to be enjoying himself was Eren.

 

He sighed again and walked off, away from the bright colors and loud people. All he wanted right now was some peace and quiet and someone who was no longer here.

 

Eren walked through the cobblestone roads and finally made it to his final resting place. He pulled out some flowers (which he'd picked on his last mission outside the Walls) and he placed them in front of the headstone. He knelt down in front of the grave.

 

"Hey," he breathed out. "How are you doing? We finally did it. The Walls are down. We defeated the Titans. Nothing comes in to eat us. We're free."

 

A light breeze blew through and ruffled his hair a little. It felt like fingers, gingerly combing through his hair and a butterfly kiss at the top of his head. He chuckled.

 

"I can't believe it. We've been struggling so hard for this and now, we have achieved our goal. It's hard to believe that we're safe." His fingered brushed the gravestone, tracing the name engraved on the surface. A small smile played on his lips as he thought about how he would have answered.

 

" _Shut up brat. It's here now and we should probably make the most of it while it lasts. With our luck, it won't last forever_."

 

Eren breathed in deeply. He remembered the gruesome details of this man's death even if he hadn't been there himself. He had run to the him, tears rushing down his face and sobbed into his shoulder as the man he loved lay in a pool of his own blood. He'd been torn from limb to limb and all he had left was one arm, which he used to wipe away the tears that were now pretty much waterfalls cascading down his cheeks, dribbling off his chin onto the dying man's usually spotless uniform, which was now torn and bloody.

 

 

 

 

" _Hey, why the fuck are you crying? Stop it right now,_ " he'd said to Eren. There was no malice, irritation or anger. Just a soft tone that said _it's okay, everything is fine_. It was confiding and gentle and after you've seen what that man was like, you wouldn't have believed it. He sounded warm and capable of loving, and it was a tone that no one else but Eren had heard before. It just made him cry harder.

 

" _Why am I crying? What do you think? You are literally dying right now and that's all you say?_ " Eren sobbed, clutching the broken body. " _How the hell are you still alive right now anyway? I've seen people with more limbs than you and still die instantly._ "

 

A low chuckle emanated from the body that people had once ridiculed for being short (only to have their ass kicked immediately after). " _Stupid brat. I'm alive because I fucking will it right now. I'm not called Humanity's Strongest for_ nothing." he gasped slightly for breath. "I _wanted to be able to talk to you one last time so that you at least knew what had happened to me and fucking let me rest in peace."_

 

" _But now that I've seen you alive I sure as hell am not letting you die_ ," Eren said stubbornly and the man sighed.

 

" _Well guess what piece of shit. You're going to have to. There is absolutely no point in letting me live like this. I will hate you and everyone else who helps you try to keep me alive._ " Eren had inhaled sharply at that and the squad leader smirked slightly " _Don't like that thought do you? I mean it Bright Eyes, if you make me live like this for the rest of my life I will tear you another one with my remaining arm._ "

 

Eren's eyes must have widened at that because his smirk got wider before he winced in pain and dropped it. Eren's breathing hitched and the hiccupping continued.

 

" _Goddamn it kid, get your act together,_ " the man scolded, brow furrowed slightly.

 

" _But Corporal I don't want you to die. Your squad needs you, the Survey Corps needs you. I need you. Please, don't die._ "

 

" _Too late brat. I'm about to die soon anyway. Besides, what good am I in this state?_ "

 

" _But... Corporal..."_

 

" _Stop calling me Corporal already. Levi is good enough goddamn it,_ " he interjected. " _At least do what you're told when a dying man asks for it._ "

 

" _Levi-_ "

 

" _I love you._ "

 

Eren's heart skipped a beat and he looked at those stormy grey eyes, as beautiful as a silver lining breaking through a storm. He leaned down and kissed Levi, his mouth softly molding into the older man's lips. They had stayed like that for a long time, a slow, deep kiss, full of love and anguish, memories and hardships, sadness and happiness, bitterness and mourning. It was a kiss of farewell, and one for them to remember forever, as this was the last time they ever could.

 

They slowly broke the kiss and bright green eyes looked into dark silvery eyes.

 

" _I love you too,_ " Eren replied. " _Forever and always._ "

 

" _Forever and always._ " Levi echoed. His eyes began to flutter shut. " _I'll see you around, Eren._ "

 

" _Goodbye, Levi._ " Eren said softly. On the outside, he was crying softly, mourning the death of his Corporal but on the inside, he was screaming for the man he loved, yelling to not go because he couldn't go and if he did then he would be nothing...

 

 

 

 

Eren blinked and stared at the gravestone in front of him. No matter how many times he looked, it never felt like Levi was actually dead. This wasn't a real grave and there wasn't a real death. Levi was just somewhere where Eren couldn't see but if he turned around, he would be there, ready to say the first rude and vulgar thing that came to his head.

 

He gaze fell down to the flowers and his breath shuddered as tears started falling down again, one by one. The wind picked up a little and he closed his eyes and tilted his head up and tried to enjoy the coolness and the tingling that came with it. The tears that had fallen were picked up and were sent up into the air, the light making then sparkle. It would have been beautiful if it weren't for the fact they had been made by tears that mourned the death that still didn't feel as if it had occurred.

 

"It's wonderful, being free. Armin is looking forward to see the ocean again. So are Mikasa and I. I wish you could come, you might have liked it" Eren whispered to the headstone. He wiped away any remaining tears before bringing his hands back down to his sides. "It's beautiful you know. The books were right, it's huge and goes further than the eye can see. It's salty and it was lined with a small plain of yellow-y white sand. We had a great time there when we went on our last mission, even if we only got to play for 5 minutes before a stupid Titan turned up."

 

Eren began reciting everything that had happened since Levi had died to the grave, all his adventures, the good times, the bad times, the funny and embarrassing times.

 

The wind fluttered and tugged at Eren's clothes, running cold fingers through his shirt, hair, neck, face, arms. A soft touch, like the wings of a butterfly brushing against his lips made him open his eyes again. The petals of the flowers he's picked were slowly being blown away by the breeze and they twirled through the air, a graceful dance to nonexistent music other than the sighingwind.

 

It sounded as if it was trying to talk to Eren, and he lay down next to the lonely grave, feet near the headstone, hands behind his head. His eyes fluttered shut as he tried to listen to the wind.

 

_Hey Eren. So fucking good to see you again._

 

His lips brushed against Eren's and he opened his eyes. There he was, standing in front of him, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

 

Eren's eyes widened and he reached out to touch the man he loved only to see his fingers slip through. He drew his hand back as he stared at Levi, blinking back tears.

 

"You really are gone aren't you?" Eren said, staring into Levi's eyes, which were transparent yet still their strong, stormy grey eyes.

 

The man's expression looked sad yet at peace, eyes full of love for Humanity's Hope. He nodded once, and watched as Eren's face crumpled, shoulders slumping with defeat the way they did when Levi first met him in the dungeon, all those years ago. He knelt down beside him, and his hand pretended to cup his cheek. It tickled, as if the ends of a feather had brushed his face and made the boy's look up. Tears were coming back down again and Levi still tried to wipe them away with his thumb in vain.

 

Eren smiled sadly then softly whispered, voice cracking, "Why did you have to die Levi?"

 

The Corporal's eyes were filled with regret and sadness. _I'm sorry,_ moved his mouth, but no sound came out. Another tear fell down. Again, a hand tried to wipe it away.

 

Levi stood up and walked to his headstone, looking at it with revulsion written on his face. Obviously, he was thinking about how filthy it was. Wow, even in the afterlife Levi was still a clean freak. _Brat, why didn't you at least clean my grave? It's fucking disgusting._

 

This made Eren smile again, and stare at Levi with 'really?' expressed as clearly as he could on his face. Levi raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, arms crossed, waiting. The boy rolled his eyes and started doing what he could to make it clean. The short man stared at those captivating green eyes, determined as ever even after the war, eyes that had managed to grab a seemingly heartless man's heart.

 

Once Eren had decided that was all he could do, he sat back down and looked up at Levi. They stayed like that, green eyes locked on grey.

 

Finally, Eren said the words that for some reason had stayed back even after running his mouth off and getting into trouble.

 

"I love you" he said, and a weight seemed to lift slightly off his chest, but not all of it. He didn't think that weight would ever come off completely for the rest of his life.

 

Levi smirked at Eren and mouthed _I love you too_ back to him. He bent down slightly, and a chaste kiss from the wind brushed against Eren's lips. The last one he'll ever get from the man he loved and will love forever.

 

"Thank you, Corporal. Thank you... for everything," he said and suddenly Levi's smirk became a real smile, one that hadn't graced that man's lips ever since Farlan and Isabel left the Earth. It was a smile that was happy, content and full of peace, genuine, hope and love. Something that was never to be seen again, even for the brat that managed to get the broken man to open up again.

 

He saluted Eren, his right fist over his heart, left fist behind his back before disappearing and finally Eren realized, Levi was never going to come back.

 

_Forever and always kid. We may be separated now, but we will meet again someday._


End file.
